Often referred to as “the quiet word”, lobbying activities in Ireland are rarely identified as such. Terminology that is a bit broader tends to be preferred – influence, advocacy, representation. While all these terms ultimately refer to the same broad church of activities, we prefer to skirt the issue more often than not in a public setting.
In the public psyche, our view on lobbying is often significantly influenced by what we see in entertainment media or what we import from other jurisdictions such as the USA or the UK. When we hear the word lobbying, we conjure images of murky interest groups with never-ending war chests or meetings in smoky backrooms. The reality of lobbying in Ireland paints a different picture. This is where Springboard can assist: We advise clients on where decisions are made. We guide clients to see where they need to be advocating, how they need to be advocating, and who needs to hear their advocacy to not only respond effectively to political and regulatory change, but to get ahead of key decisions.
The latest full-year data from the Regulation of Lobbying 2025 Annual Report indicates that there were 2,696 registrants on the island of Ireland at the end of 2024, representing every county, in addition to 176 registrants in other parts of the world. Between these registrants, 14,337 lobbying activities were recorded in 2025. If this number seems small, recall that each of these records of lobbying activities could involve hundreds of interventions between email campaigns, meetings, phone contact and other activities. Even if each of these records only represented one intervention, that is still almost 40 lobbying activities every day across the island. Not so quiet after all.
Lobbying is a core part of the democratic process. Public representatives, senior public officials, and their advisory teams can not possibly foresee every potential outcome of a decision, particularly when it interacts in a bespoke way with individual citizens and their circumstances. While all reasonable attempts are expected to be made to make policy, laws, and public decisions in line with the greatest possible public good, every decision has margins, and within these margins, issues can arise and compound to create public challenges. Lobbying is the feedback mechanism through which these issues can be highlighted and resolved – leading to better outcomes across the board.
Good lobbying is direct, constructive, and transparent. With an ever-growing population in Ireland and no realistic public appetite to grow the Executive to oversee the public services required to support that population, the demands on the time and attention of senior decision-makers seem to be constantly growing and diversifying. This makes it harder to plead your case within a contested space. Ensuring that your lobbying activities are direct, constructive, and transparent gives your organisation the best chance of being heard by the right people, in a way they will be receptive to, and in a way they can carry forward to any necessary collaborators to potentially deliver on the ask.
Lobbying is not a guarantee of delivery; it is an ask only. So your ask must be framed in the most effective way to give the best chance of delivery. In this context, your message is as important as your delivery tactics.
At Springboard Communications, our public affairs work is rooted in an integrated communications approach. We connect the needs of your organisation directly with your communications approach to deliver on goals in media relations, public affairs, stakeholder engagement, and thought leadership.
To read more about our integrated approach, visit springboardcommunications.ie/public-affairs or contact me today at Aimee@springboardcommunications.ie.
